Mid-range THL 5000 offers 1000 hours standby, 47 hours talk time

Back in April Philips took the wraps of its W6618 entry-level handset, which promised 66 day standby time and 33 hours talk time. The handset managed this feat thanks to modest specs and a massive 5,300 mAh battery. For those looking for equally impressive battery life but slightly more aggressive specs, it seems that Chinese-based THL could have a treat for you with its new THL 5000.

As you might have guessed by the name, the THL 5000 packs a massive 5000 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the Philips W6618. Aside from the battery, however, nearly every other spec is considerably improved with 2GB RAM, a 5-inch 1080p display (instead of qHD), a 13MP Sony Exmor RS rear cam, 32GB storage, microSD, a 5MP front cam, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC and HSDPA+ support. The only black mark on the record (aside from no LTE) is the fact that the handset uses a Mediatek processor like the Philips smartphone, though it is a faster 1.7GHz quad-core chip.

Bottom-line, the THL 5000 packs nearly the same specs are most 2014 flagships, with the only trade-off being you get a bigger battery in exchange for a much less impressive CPU. For those willing to make that trade, you’ll be able to get roughly 1000 hours standby time (a little over 41 days!), 47 hours talk time, 11 hours web-page browsing, 125 hours music listening or 11.6 hours of video playback time.

So how much will the THL 5000 set you back? While the phone is being targeted at the Asian market, you should have little problem getting it in Europe and the U.S. through Chinese wholesale sites in the near future for around $299 once it formally launches in China. For those looking for a handset with crazy battery life, this is a great price and not much more than the weaker-spec’d 5300mAh-touting Philips W6618.